The most exciting thing that would happen while walking Gracie back home in Greenville would be passing a new construction dumpster to dispose of Gracie's doodie. I never know what I am going to come across while walking Gracie here. I have walked past a prehistoric snail on the side of the road that could carry Gracie away, and watched a bat fly back and forth over my head between trees hunting for insects in a frenzy.The other day was a little different. I left our apartment building and didn't get very far, and noticed a construction site that caught my attention. There are common wall houses (like duplexes) throughout our neighborhood. Frequently, the owner on one half will do remodeling projects. The nice thing about construction here, is that they put up tarp walls to contain the dust and debris so it does not drift into the neighbor's side or onto the road. While I was taking the picture, I noticed a man on a scooter drive onto the sidewalk toward me. He called out to me and asked if I was Karie. I said yes and thought, "Oh great, what did I do?" He said he had a package for me from Asian Tigers, the company who moved our belongings into our apartment. I was trying to figure out how he found me down the street walking Gracie, who he wanted nothing to do with.
As I was signing for the package, Gracie was trying to approach him in her normal friendly manner. He kept putting his hand out to keep Gracie from coming near him. I pulled her back toward me and he was off and away on his scooter. That is how mail is delivered; someone driving a motor scooter with a blue metal Singpost box on the back.
When I got back to our apartment and walked past the guard, he said that he spotted me down the street and pointed me out to the mail courier. That explains the mysterious identity game. I asked our guard about why some Asian people are very cautious and put their hands out to stop Gracie from coming near them. I thought that maybe they are scared of dogs. He said that these people are Malay, usually from Indonesia and Malaysia who are Muslim. They believe dogs are unclean and do not come near or touch them. If they touch a dog who is wet or has a wet nose, they need to wash their hands many times or even take a shower immediately after contact. Dogs are only used for hunting or guarding property, not pets.
I think Gracie can be unclean too, especially coming back from a walk with dirty paws and a dirty face after sniffing everything she comes in contact with on the ground. But, after cleaning off all the dirt and grime, I still let her touch me and sleep on our bed and sofa. Kevin and I are just dog-loving softies.
After learning this, I am cautious now when I'm out with Gracie. I keep her away from people looking apprehensive and scowling at her. But she always tries to convince passing people how cute she is. Fortunately most people like her and want to pet her. That's a good thing, or Gracie will start getting a complex.
